Bottle-corking machine



Aug. 53 B. G. BAUSANO 2,647,674

BOTTLE CORKING MACHINE Filed July 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l Bath's/a 6. Hausa/7o INVE TOR.

Aug. 4, 1953 B. G. BAUSANO BOTTLE CORKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1951 Buff/3m 6. Bausana INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,647,674 BOTTLE-CORKING MACHINE Battista G. Bausano, Detroit, Mich. Application July 9, 1951, Serial No. 235,723

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for bottling corks, particularly useful in homes, and has for its primary object to provide a machine which is relatively simple in design and construction and which can be easily operated both with regard to feeding corks to the machine and forcing the corks into the open ends of bottles.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a bottle corking machine of the character described which includes a cork holder that is urged by a resilient means into bearing engagement with the upper edge of the bottle to I stabilize the same While a plunger operating through the cork-holding member by means of a handle is actuated to force the cork through the holder and into the upper open end of the bottle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bottle corking machine as described hereinabove which includes a cam means manually operable to force the cork-holding means away from the bottle after the cork has been inserted therein to allow for the proper positioning of another bottle on the base of the machine.

These, together with various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1"is a side elevational View of the device;

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the device looking from left to right on Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Specific reference will now be made to the drawings. In the several views, in the accompanying drawings and in the following specification, similar reference characters indicate cor-' responding elements throughout.

The present machine includes a preferably metallic base member Ill which secures by an appropriate collar l2 a vertically extending shaft [4. Secured by any suitable means on the base adjacent the collar I2 is a cushioning means It, preferably of rubber, for supporting the bottom end of a bottle l8 vertically on the base member with its axis extending substantially parallel to the axis of the shaft l4.

A cork-holding member, generally indicated at 20, is provided which is in the form of a substantially rectangular tube 22 which has an enlarged opening 24 through a portion of its annular wall through which a cork 26 may be fed. The tube has an axial bore 28 having a reduced portion 30 at its upper end for slidably receiving a plunger 32, while the lower end of the bore is tapered, as at 34, oppositely to the taper of the cork to frictionally but yieldingly retain the same within the holder. It will be understood that when the plunger 32 is retracted, the opening 24 is sufliciently exposed to allow for the insertion of a cork which will assume the position shown in Figures 4 and 5. The lower edge of the corkholding tube includes an annular recess 38 which engages the lip portion 40 of the neck of the bottle and, as will be described hereinafter, the lower end of the holder is constantly but yieldingly urged into bearing engagement with the neck portion of the bottle to stabilize the same while the cork is inserted therein.

Thecork-holding tube22 includes, adjacent its lower end, an integral, laterally extending collar 42 that slidably embraces the shaft I4, the upper portion of the collar including an integral, laterally extending. portion 44 which, as shown clearly in Figure 1, extends in a direction diametrically opposite that of the connection of the collar to the cork-holding tube proper. A vertically extending rod 46 is provided which is spaced from and extends substantially parallel to the shaft I 4 and extends slidably through the lateral portion 44 of the collar 42. The rod 46 is secured to the shaft M by appropriate upper and lower clamps 48 and 50 and set screws 52 are employed to secure the rod 46 to the clamps. A further clamp 54 is provided of the split type having one collar. portion 56 engaging the shaft and an opposite collar portion 58 engaging the rod 46. A manually operable screw means 60 is used and located between the two collar portions- 56 and 58 to tighten them about the shaft l4 and rod 46, respectively. It will be understood that when the screw means 60 is loosened, the clamp 54 may be vertically adjusted upon the shaft I4 and the rod 46.

The lateral portion 44 of the collar 42 associated with the holding member 22 includes a hook 82 which terminally secures a coil spring 64 which engages at its other end, as at 66, a set screw 68 carried by the collar portion 58 of the clamp 54. Thus, in effect, the spring operatively interconnects the cork-holding member with one of the means securing the rod 46 to the shaft, and

the spring is tensioned to constantly urge the holding member downwardly and its lower end into bearing engagement with the lip 38 of a bottle. The tension of the spring can be readily adjusted by loosening the screw means 8i) and vertically adjusting the clamp on the shaft and rod 46 inasmuch as it is this clamp means which anchors by the set screw to one end of the spring 64.

The plunger, slidable in the holding member, is operated by an elongated handle Hi which is biturcated, as at E2, to include two spaced legs Hi and i5 braced and maintained in proper spreadapart position by a suitable support '18. A block 80 is secured on the upper end of the plunger which extends through the upper open end of the cork-holding tube 22 and this block. is pivoted at its opposite end, as at 82, between the legs M and iii of the handle 10. The block serves to limit the downward movement of the plunger in the holding member by engagement with the upper edge of the holding member, as shown in solid lines in Figure 1. The free ends of the legs i l and it are pivoted, as at 84, to a pair of pitmans 8b which are, in turn, pivoted at their other ends, as at 88, to the lateral portion M of the collar 42 associated with the holding member. Thus, when the lever handle '10 is moved in a vertical plane, as shown in dotted lines in Figure the plunger 32 will slide through the holding member and force the cork 25 out of the bottom end thereof and into the upper open end of the bottle.

As mentioned hereinabove, by virtue of the resilient means constantly urging the holding member into bearing engagement with the lip of the bottle, the latter is efiectively stabilized while the handle TI) is operated to eject the cork and force it into the open end of the bottle. A means must be provided for retracting the cork-holding L member as well as the plunger to allow'for the withdrawal of the corked bottle and the proper placement of another bottle on the base of the machine. This means comprises a pair of spaced lugs 80 and 92 depending from the collar 52 of the holding member and positioned to one side of the shaft M. Pivoted between the spaced lugs 80 and 92, by suitable trunnions 94, is a roller 96. An elongated lever bar 93 is provided with a knob use at one end and an enlarged cam m2 at its other end, the latter being eccentrically pivoted, as at PM, to the collar portion 56 of the clamp 54. Thus, after the bottle has been corked and the corlr holder is still in a lower position bearing on the lip of the bottle, it the lever bar 98 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction with reference to Figure 2, the cam I02 will engage the roller 9E and raise the cork-holding member from the top of the bottle against action of the spring 6 3.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes iully comprehended by the spirit or the invention as herein described and within the scope or" the appended claims.

I-iaving described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A bottle corking machine comprising a base and a vertical shaft mounted thereon, cushioning means on said base adjacent said shaft for supporting the bottom of a bottle, a hollow corkholdin member slidably mounted on said shaft, resilient means urging said cork-holding member downwardly towards and into engagement with the neck of a bottle, cam means for raising said holding member against action of said resilient means, a plunger slidable in said holding member :[or ejecting a cork and forcing it into the bottle neck, and a handle pivoted to said holding member and operatively connected to said plunger.

The combination of claim 1 wherein said holding member is an open ended tube having a cork feeding opening through its annular wall, said tube including a lateral collar slidably engaging said shaft.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said lateral collar includes a further lateral portion, a vertical rod spaced from and secured to said shaft and slidably receiving said further lateral portion, and said resilient means includes a coil spring terminally secured to said further lateral portion and said rod.

l. The combination of claim 3 wherein said cam means includes a roller carried by said lateral collar adjacent said shaft, and a lever arm having an enlarged cam at one of its ends eccentrically pivoted on said shaft for movement in a vertical plane and adapted to engage said roller.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said holding member is an open ended tube having a cork feeding opening through its annular wall, said tube including a lateral collar slidably engaging said shait, the lower end of said tube including an annular recess adapted to engage the upper edge of the neck of a bottle, said plunger extending through the opposite upper end of said tube.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said handle includes a bifurcated portion having spaced legs, the upper end of said plunger being pivoted between said legs, and pitmans terminally pivoted to the free ends of said legs and said holding member.

BATTISTA G. BAUSANO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,462,713 Brandstetter Jan. 3, 1922 1,990,301 Mora Feb. 5, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 369,229 France Jan. 5, 1907 

